Compost

Whenever I see demonstrations of composting on TV I’m always impressed by three things – the size of the compost heap, the endless supply of compostable materials to put on it and the enormous vigour of the gardener in charge of the heap.

Out in the real world, even the most fortunate of gardeners is unlikely to be blessed with all of those things. I personally don’t have the space for one of those massive, multi-bay compost bins. I have 3 plastic compost bins and two wormeries, so I have to spread the compostable goodies around. And I certainly don’t have the time or the energy to be out there every day with a thermometer, ready to turn each heap at a moment’s notice.

Which is why I have always, unwittingly, followed the Centre for Alternative Technology’s High Fibre composting process.

The key points in this process are as follows:

  • You add your compostable materials as and when you have them. When there’s garden waste, add garden waste. When you’ve been mowing the lawn, add the grass cuttings. When you’ve been peeling potatoes, add potato skins. (n.b. there are genuine concerns with potato peelings that you could be adding blight spores to your compost heap. I personally believe that since blight spores are spread on the wind, a few on the compost heap are no problem, but if you’re a serious spud grower you might want to bin them).
  • What this gives you is a nitrogen-heavy heap, which is why a horrible, smelly sludge is often the result. To balance this out, CAT recommends adding waste paper and cardboard, something most households generate a lot of, particularly any that you would otherwise find it hard to recycle. I love cardboard tubes (from toilet rolls or kitchen paper) because they add carbon and create air pockets at the same time. Corrugated card does the same, as does scrunched up newspaper.
  • There are no ratios to follow, you just try and keep a balance. If you add lots of grass cuttings, break them up with some paper or card.
  • The compost is not turned, but allowed to decompose naturally on its own. This means that the heap will not heat up enough to kill weed seeds or plant diseases – so don’t add seeding weeds or diseased plant material. And don’t add things with prickles unless you want prickly compost – they take longer than everything to break down. I send my brambles for community composting.
  • After several months (3 in summer, up to 6 in winter), the bottom layers of the heap will have composted down. If you have access to the bottom then you can dig out the finished compost and leave the rest in there, so that you have a continuous composting process. Alternatively, you can have more than one bin and start filling a second while the first is rotting down. You will then have a complete heap to dig out a couple of times a year (a chore that I blog about on occasions).
  • The compost made in this way might not be seed-free, but otherwise it’s as good as it needs to be. It’s great for mulching or digging in or using as part of a potting mix (I know, I’ve used it for all three). I love making compost, the process never fails to amaze me and result is free plant food.

CAT have put all the details of their High Fibre composting method into a factsheet, available from their website as a pay-to-view download (no waste!). Lots of other titles are available too, so have a look around while you’re there.

CAT have brought out one of their great ‘Little Books’ just in time for Christmas. The Little Book of Compost by Allan Shepherd is styled as a recipe book for compost – complete with starters, main courses, side dishes, desserts and drinks. It makes a great stocking filler for gardeners and includes hot & cold composting, bokashi and worm composting techniques.